Motorola gets in focus with Hasselblad

Lenovo used its IFA press conference to unveil some updates to its Motorola-branded product line including some interesting moves with the camera giant Hasselblad.

The Hasselblad True Zoom is a Moto Mod detachable smartphone accessory module. It will be globally in September, with pricing around €299. It's a camera module with a 10x zoom lens, physical shutter button, zoom lever and a Xenon flash. It magnetically attaches directly to a compatible phone, which in this case includes the Moto Z, Moto Z Force and the new Moto Z Play.

It ups the spec so that it is a 12MP 1/2.3" CMOS sensor with 1.55 um pixel size, 25-250mm equivalent 10x zoom lens, 12MP, F3.5-6.5 aperture, ISO 100 to 3200, 1080p video with two built-in microphones. It has a physical two-stage shutter button and zoom lever, Xenon flash and weighs 145g.

The Hasselblad True Zoom is easier to attach than the LG G5 camera grip, which requires removal of the battery and a restart. Basically you just magnetically attach it. The company said the add-on “makes advanced imaging experiences like 10x optical zoom and shooting RAW a reality on mobile”.

Meanwhile Motorola has added a new smartphone to the Moto Z family, called Moto Z Play. The headline feature is battery life: it is said to offer up to 50 hours of use, the longest for a Moto device.

It has a 5.5-inch full HD display, and will be available in Europe soon, priced around €499. In the US, it will initially be available through Motorola and operator Verizon in a Droid Edition, before seeing a wider launch in October.